By Lisa Carolin
Kitty Golding is the owner of an interior design business, a wife, and the mother of four boys, who all live in the Chelsea area. It was the loss of her other son that inspired Golding to start a nonprofit organization called Hearts of Hope.
In 2000, the Goldings’ infant son, William, was born with a rare birth defect and lived for just 16 hours. After the devastation of that loss, Golding got together with her friend, Michelle Bazick, whose baby (Baby Jessica) was still born at 27 weeks.
“We chose to use our tragic losses as an opportunity to serve and minister to other mothers and fathers (who) have experienced the loss of a baby through late term miscarriage, still birth or infant death,” said Golding. “Hearts of Hope was originally initiated out of the basic need for parents that have just lost a child to go home from the hospital with something tangible in their arms.”
Hearts of Hope delivers bereavement baskets designed to meet the emotional, mental and spiritual needs of those experiencing such a loss. The baskets are delivered to the labor and delivery ward of local hospitals where nurses take the gift to the parents in their rooms. To date, more than 3,000 baskets have been delivered to local hospitals as well as shipped around the country.
“Some of the hand-selected items that fill our boxes are a loving book titled “Mommy, Please Don’t Cry,” and a soft teddy bear from the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory,” said Golding. “Beautiful baby blankets are carefully made by my mother-in-law and her friend and used as liners in the boxes.”
Golding and Bazick buy the items and make the boxes and baskets. They depend on donations, 100 percent going to purchase the items that fill the boxes and the cost to send them.
“Sharing the responsibilities of Hearts of Hope with another person helps tremendously,” said Golding. “Michelle and I divide what needs to be done and also pray about Hearts of Hope and for the parents that have had losses and those that will be future recipients of this ministry.”
After delivering her fourth child in April of 2002, one month after delivering the first gift basket from Hearts of Hope, Golding’s husband encountered a couple in the hospital elevator holding a Hearts of Hope basket. He shared his sorrow about their loss and told them where the basket came from.
“It’s amazing that one of our very first baskets had been given to a couple that had the exact same rare loss that we had,” said Golding.
To request a basket, you can call 734-424-9647 or to the website.
To donate to Hearts of Hope, go to the website or send a check to: Hearts of Hope, 3522 Oliver Dr., Dexter, MI 48130.
If you or anyone you know has ever lost a child, please consider donating to Hearts of Hope in memory of your much-loved little one. I received one of their baskets in 2003 following a miscarriage, and it helped me tremendously.
Thank you, Kitty and Michelle, for continuing this important ministry.